Artem Gergun

Trading Justice for Self-Interest: A Laissez-faire Path to Modernization?

After the dramatic events of the Euromaidan Revolution in 2014, a renewed Ukrainian political elite adopted a laissez-faire path to modernization. The results of this course of action are controversial. Ukrainian society is now experiencing unprecedented levels of inequality and de-modernization. The main objective of my research is to assess recent societal developments in Ukraine from the standpoint of the conflict between two powerful theories of societal development—laissez-faire liberalism and modernization theory.